Chapter 556: Chancellor Xie Has Arrived
Chapter 556: Chapter 556: Chancellor Xie Has Arrived
A fragrant, perfumed crowd of ladies filled the entire garden where the banquet was being held.
Each of the young ladies attending the consort selection wore a different Poetry Card Order hanging from her waist.
This was a method devised by the Palace Affairs Department so that if Mo Lingwei didn’t know whom to question, he could simply draw a poetry card at random.
The young lady whose name was called would naturally have an opportunity to speak with the Crown Prince.
As a result, every young lady at the banquet was filled with confidence.
After all, getting to speak with the Crown Prince wasn’t a matter of family background, but of luck. If the poetry card she held was chosen by him, then this trip would have been worth it!
Meng Wanning was among them, feigning nonchalance as she said to another lady, "I’m not here to compete for a position as one of the Crown Prince’s consorts. I’ve just never had the chance to attend a banquet with him, so I came to see what it’s like."
The young lady she was speaking to chuckled. "The Crown Prince might not even attend. Otherwise, look—the banquet has been underway for an hour now. Why hasn’t the Crown Prince appeared?"
Meng Wanning began to feel suspicious as well.
’Could it be that the Crown Prince only agreed to the consort selection as a pretense?’
Just then, a commotion erupted at the garden entrance.
Someone whispered in pleasant surprise, "The Crown Prince is here!"
The young ladies all took out their handkerchiefs, adjusted their hair, and stood up straight, wanting to present their best selves to Mo Lingwei.
The young ladies parted to form a path down the middle.
Sunlight pierced through the rising incense smoke that drifted from the censers in the garden. The noble Crown Prince strode forward, his steps scattering the hazy wisps of smoke.
He was tall and well-built, his hair tied back in the style of a man who has come of age. His features were sharp and handsome, and he exuded the indifference of a superior.
Mo Lingwei walked straight past the assembled young ladies without a sideways glance.
Suddenly,
A handkerchief, belonging to who-knows-which lady, was caught by the wind and fluttered down before Mo Lingwei’s boots.
His steps faltered. He stopped, his gaze lowering to look at it with a meaningful expression.
The eunuch behind Mo Lingwei quickly picked it up. "Whose handkerchief is this? How could you be so careless?"
A young lady stepped forward timidly. "Eunuch, it’s mine. I lost my grip on it just now, and the wind carried it away."
Her figure was as slender as a willow, her face demure and graceful. As she walked before Mo Lingwei, a careful, shy blush crept onto her cheeks.
"Please forgive me, Your Highness. I certainly did not do it on purpose."
Mo Lingwei, with his black hair and golden crown, had a handsome face that seemed to radiate a bone-chilling cold.
And yet, a faint sneer played on his thin lips. "It is merely a handkerchief. You were careless. Would I truly blame you over such a trivial matter?"
His voice was magnetic and pleasant, causing the young lady’s face to flush an even deeper shade of pink.
In the next second, however, Mo Lingwei glanced sideways and ordered the eunuch behind him, "Send her out of the palace. She can’t even hold on to a handkerchief, which shows how weak she is. If such a girl were taken as a consort, would she be serving me, or would I be serving her?"
The young lady trembled. "Your Highness? I am in perfect health! What happened just now was merely an accident!"
Mo Lingwei turned and smiled. Everyone around them could see that his smile was glaringly cold.
"I do not believe in accidents. Take her away."
The eunuch quickly waved his hand, and the imperial guards stepped forward, mercilessly dragging away the pleading young lady.
Mo Lingwei walked to his seat. After sitting down, he picked up a teacup in his large hand, his posture relaxed and languid, his narrow eyes filled with disdainful pride.
"My patience is limited, so I will ask this in advance. If any of you feel unwell, like she did, leave the palace now. Do not waste my time."
After he made an example of her, which of the young ladies would dare to deliberately show off in front of him again?
One by one, they all lowered their heads, not daring to even breathe loudly.
Mo Lingwei ate and drank his tea by himself, not interacting with any of the young ladies. He sat there like a dark cloud, casting a heavy pall over everyone’s hearts.
Seeing this, the Chief Eunuch from the Palace Affairs Department had a bad feeling.
Steeling himself, he walked forward and presented a prepared booklet to Mo Lingwei.
"Your Highness, when each young lady entered the palace today, she received a poetry card from the Palace Affairs Department. You may select one card to decide who will dine with you three days from now."
Dining together meant that whichever young lady’s poetry card was chosen would have a chance to spend time alone with the Crown Prince.
Some of the girls couldn’t help but raise their eyes to glance at Mo Lingwei, and then at the booklet in his hand.
Mo Lingwei simply raised an eyebrow and flipped through the pages. The poetry card names passed before his eyes, failing to arouse the slightest bit of interest.
Just then,
Chen Shaobei hurried in from outside. "Your Highness, Chancellor Xie has arrived. He is outside your study, requesting an audience."
Mo Lingwei shot to his feet. "Chancellor Xie?"
Xie Suzhi had arrived at the perfect time.
Mo Lingwei’s first thought was that Shen Ningning was too embarrassed to come and stop him herself, so she had sent her father, Xie Suzhi, to dissuade him instead.
Whatever the reason, Mo Lingwei was willing to give Shen Ningning a way out.
He immediately tossed the booklet aside and strode out. "Come with me to see him."
The Chief Eunuch from the Palace Affairs Department hastily picked up the booklet and hurried after him. "Your Highness, you... you must at least choose one! This servant needs to be able to report back to the Emperor!"
Mo Lingwei shot him an impatient glance and pointed randomly at a poetry card in the booklet. "This one, then. Enslaved by Love."
With that, he and Chen Shaobei departed in a hurry.
The moment Mo Lingwei’s figure vanished, the garden erupted like a pot of boiling water.
"Who is Enslaved by Love?"
"I don’t know. I’m Qing Yu’an."
"It’s not me, either. I have Yulou Chun."
Everyone looked at each other’s poetry cards, all trying to guess who the lucky young lady might be.
Just then, a joyous voice called out from the crowd.
"Eunuch, Enslaved by Love is my poetry card!"
All eyes turned to see Meng Wanning holding up her Poetry Card Order as she pushed her way through the crowd.
The Chief Eunuch checked it and nodded. "It is indeed you. Miss, please come this way with this servant. We will make a brief record, and then you may wait for the palace to send someone to your residence in three days to escort you here for the banquet with His Highness."
Meng Wanning was struck by this enormous surprise and felt as if she were floating as she walked.
"Yes, yes! Thank you, Eunuch." She followed the Chief Eunuch away.
Feeling utterly vindicated, she held her chin high the entire way, departing under the envious and jealous stares of the surrounding young ladies.
Some couldn’t help but gossip.
"Isn’t that the young lady of the Meng Family? I heard she’s in love with the third son of the Xie family!"
"The third son doesn’t like her back. Now that she’s seized this opportunity, I’m afraid she’s about to climb the social ladder and become royalty!"
Soon, news of this matter spread outside the palace.
Meanwhile, Mo Lingwei had already returned to his study in Zichen Palace, where he received Xie Suzhi with exceptional politeness.
No matter how angry he was with Shen Ningning, he still showed her father—the current Chancellor—the respect he was due.
"Chancellor Xie, please sit." Mo Lingwei gestured to a seat, then lifted his robes and sat down beside it, personally pouring tea for Xie Suzhi.
Xie Suzhi dared not take the seat. Dressed in his official robe, which accentuated his tall and slender frame, his mature and steady face was filled with deference.
"Your Highness, this subject did not come on official business today. Therefore, this subject will be direct."
Mo Lingwei raised an eyebrow. "Very well. Did Shen Ningning send you to find me?"
Xie Suzhi was silent for a moment before replying, "This subject came to see Your Highness on my own accord. Ningning does not yet know of this."
Mo Lingwei’s hand, which was lifting his tea, froze in mid-air. His sharp brows furrowed immediately.
"What is it?" His voice had grown cold.